Microsoft Finds Creative Patch
Around Southern California Fires

Updated Oct. 30, 2003 12:01 a.m. ET

Long Day's Journey

Disastrous fires in Southern California have played havoc on air travel, and the timing couldn't have been worse for Microsoft Corp. The software titan was expecting a record turnout of more than 7,000 software developers to a conference in Los Angeles. Many attendees, however, ran into trouble traveling to the event. But, geeks being geeks, there was no shortage of improvisation to get there.

One harrowing tale came from Hillel Cooperman, a top designer for Microsoft's Longhorn operating system, who was...